The Rocky Road to Happy Endings
by Ultrawoman
Summary: In a perfect world, Rory wouldn't have forgiven Logan for cheating, Luke wouldn't have let April get in the way of his relationship with Lorelai, and Jess & Rory wouldn't have parted ways so easily that night at Truncheon. This story is set in that perfect world. (AU late Season 6 in which all the problems get fixed - Literati, JavaJunkie, and happy family times!)
1. Ch 1 - I'm Not Okay

**A/N: My sincere apologies to anyone waiting for updates on any of my other fics, by they Gilmore Girls stories or otherwise. The fact is, the back end of Season 6 made me so mad when I watched it for the first time a month ago that I've just been itching to rewrite it and fix so many things I feel were screwed up, including Rory forgiving Logan, Jess and Rory parting badly, and Luke and Lorelai breaking up, amongst other things. So, here comes six chapters (eventually) rewriting the last six episodes how I think they should've gone. Will you agree with my choices? I really hope so! Whatever your thoughts, please do leave them in a review for me - I would so appreciate that! )**

_**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and other folks that aren't me.**_

Chapter 1 - I'm Not Okay

Rory still felt kind of numb about the Logan situation. She half-expected him to follow her to Paris' apartment and beg her to come home, and he didn't let her down. Of course, he thought he could sweet talk her, make excuses, smooth it over, but Rory knew she couldn't let that happen. It wasn't about the technicalities of whether or not they were on a break, that was what she still couldn't seem to get through to him. All he cared about was that when he slept with all those other girls, he was not officially Rory's boyfriend.

In her mind's eye, she saw his desperate expression as he clung onto the belief that if he could just convince her that what he did was not technically cheating, everything would be okay, but it couldn't.

"_So then if you believe that, in my mind, I was not cheating on you, do you think you can forget what those vipers said today, put it behind you, and just come home with me?"_

Rory shook her head as she recalled those words. He meant it, every single word. Logan hadn't just been making excuses as such, he genuinely believed he was right, that what he'd done should be acceptable to her. It wasn't, and she couldn't let him think so.

"_You know what, Logan? No. No, I can't do that, and you wanna know why? Because it doesn't make it better. Okay, so say we were broken up, say that was that we were done, what difference does it really make? You waited, what? A day? A week to jump into bed with the next girl you saw? Oh no, I'm sorry, the next __three__ girls!"_

He had tried to interrupt her, but Rory wouldn't stand for that. Damnit, she was a Gilmore, and if she wanted to talk a mile a minute and let out all her frustrations into his astonished face then she would, and she did. Logan had needed to hear it just as much as she'd needed to say it.

"_No! You say you love me, you expect me to believe it, but you were so heartbroken, all you could think to do was sleep your way through your sister's friends? That's not love, Logan. I could never have done that to you, I never would."_

"_And that's it? Because you can't be an adult and accept I'm not perfect..."_

"_I'm not an adult?!"_

Rory recalled that as the moment she truly lost it. She knew then that she and Logan were really done for good. It had been building for a long time, longer than was healthy, if Rory was honest. It was before Jess had come to visit, though she had a feeling it was his rant that tipped the scale, in fact she knew it was. Logan had changed, or maybe she had changed and their relationship got stuck somewhere in a rut they couldn't get out of. Honestly, she wasn't sure about the whys and wherefores, Rory only knew it was over.

"_I'm__ not an adult?! I'm not the one drinking, partying, and having sex every God-given minute of the day! I thought we were a couple, Logan, I honestly thought we were in love and that maybe this was for the long haul, but I should've known better. You don't know how to be anything but what you are, a spoilt little boy who can't keep his pants on, and I'm over it. We're done, Logan, over, for good. This time we really are broken up, so go do what you want!"_

Storming back into the apartment and slamming the door had seemed like such a good idea until Rory realised that Paris and Doyle were making up in pretty serious fashion all over the floor. She had run to the spare room, her room again now, and hidden there until the worst was over.

There had been a lot of tears at first, but since that night, Rory just felt numb. It had been two weeks now, and still every time she thought of Logan Huntzberger there was just no emotion attached. No anger, no tears, no recriminations. He hadn't tried to talk to her or get her back, and it was a relief when Colin and Finn showed up with all her stuff, saving Rory the trouble of finding a good time to go over and collect it.

"For what it's worth, I think he's an idiot," Finn had told her faithfully, making her smile.

"We did tell him that, repeatedly," confirmed Colin.

It wasn't their fault, and they were good guys really. Rory had hugged them both and said they were sweet. She meant it, truly, and somehow she felt she would miss them more than she would even miss Logan in some ways. That seemed weird in her head, and weirder still when she said it out loud to her Mom last week. Lorelai had smiled kindly and covered her daughter's hand with her own.

"Sweetie, it's not weird, it's just... it's just break-ups," she shrugged easily. "They hit everybody differently, and y'know, I wouldn't worry too much about the numb thing. If there's emotion in there that needs to get out, it'll get out, at some point."

Rory wasn't so sure about that, not when her Mom said it or even now as she lay here on her bed staring at the ceiling. She had studying to do, newspaper articles to edit, so it was time to get herself up and deal already. She was just considering where to start when there was a knock on her door. Rory sat up as Paris stepped into the bedroom.

"Hey, you got mail," her friend told her, handing over a small pile of letters.

"Thanks," she smiled, but her heart wasn't really in it and they both knew it.

"How are you doing?" asked Paris awkwardly.

She wasn't built for this, for sympathy and such. She tried her best, but it didn't come easy. If Rory wanted a good long bitch-fest or a list of ways to eviscerate her ex, Paris would be the perfect friend. Unfortunately, when it came to the sweet stuff, to the hugs and smiles, it didn't come so easy to Ms Geller, but she was trying.

"Honestly?" Rory sighed heavily. "I don't know. I... I kinda feel like, like I should be feeling more than I actually am. I mean, I miss Logan, kind of. It makes me wonder how much I really loved him, and I know for sure that he couldn't've loved me, not like he said or like I wanted him to..."

She trailed off, looking and feeling overly thoughtful. Paris didn't know what to say. She understood what it was to lose a man you cared for, and she knew how it felt not to feel what you thought you should. Still, finding the right thing to say, the right thing for Rory, it was tough.

"Y'know, whatever you feel about Logan, you're allowed to feel it," she said eventually. "Nobody can tell you it's right or wrong."

Rory wasn't sure if Paris got that from her life coach or if she was somehow channelling Lorelai. Either way, it sounded good, it helped, even if only a little.

"Thanks, Paris," she smiled bravely. "I, er... I think I'm going to get some studying done, then maybe later we could get lunch together?"

"Okay, sure," her friend nodded easily, knowing they'd made a big step here.

Rory really hadn't been out much since the break up. She was either in class, in the apartment, or visiting with her Mom. It was all kind of anti-social, and whilst that didn't bother Paris for herself, it bothered her for Rory. She was supposed to be amongst people, she was the type. It would be good, even if they only ended up going as far as the Yale cafeteria.

After Paris left, Rory fired up her laptop, set herself comfortably on her bed and did her best to concentrate. Paris was right, and Lorelai before her. Rory could feel however she felt and that was okay. There was no way Logan was sitting round moping over her, and she would not give him the satisfaction of finding out she had been doing that either. She had fought really hard to get back on track with her studies, and they were not going to suffer just because her boyfriend, her _ex_-boyfriend, couldn't keep his hands off other women the moment they had a spat. Well, that was over now, and Rory had a life to be living.

It made her proud to complete a couple of half-done assignments, to read the next two chapters of a book for class, and proof-read her article for the Yale Daily News. It turned out to be a morning well spent, and she was right on time to go meet Paris for lunch. Rory found there was a reasonable kind of genuine smile on her face as she moved to hop off her bed and get ready to leave. She cursed mildly when she realised she had knocked a pile of envelopes onto the floor in her movement. The mail Paris had brought in before, Rory had almost completely forgotten about it. She flipped through the letters and cards then, a frown creasing her brow as she came across an unlikely item.

Truncheon Books, she knew that name. The even more familiar words were hand written in the top corner above the return address. Jess Mariano. Rory's eyes widened and a smile curved her lips once again as she opened up the card that turned out to be an invitation. An open house at the place where Jess worked, where he got his book published. She was just so proud of everything the guy was achieving in his life. She told him years ago that he could achieve anything he wanted and again when he handed her a copy of The Subsect a few months ago now. She had read it, re-read it, maybe more times than was healthy. She loved it because it was him, because it was pure Jess.

A knock on her door made her spin around fast and yell 'come in' without thinking. Doyle appeared, holding the cordless phone to his chest and looking harassed.

"Rory, I'm sorry, but Paris is on the phone. She says you were going to meet her for lunch and... well, the next thing I know I'm being asked to come in here and check you didn't, and I quote 'slit your wrists over that asshole Huntzberger'."

Rory laughed lightly at the phrasing and reached to take the phone from Doyle.

"Paris, I'm fine. Not dead, not even bleeding, I promise," she explained, still grinning as her eyes skimmed over the invitation in her other hand one more time. "Honestly, I just got a little distracted, lost track of time, but I am on my way now. Right now, I swear!"

A moment later, Rory was tossing the phone back to Doyle, throwing on her shoes and jacket, and running for the door. Paris was a little surprised when her friend arrived smiling from ear to ear. When she left her this morning, she looked closer to tears than anything. She really hadn't smiled that much since the break-up, only trying for a brave smile when she thought it was absolutely necessary. Paris hated Logan Huntzberger. She had told him too, several times. Unfortunately, he didn't care, and Rory didn't feel any better because of it. Neither did Paris if she were honest, but the solidarity of the sisterhood would not be allowed to slide.

"Have you been hiding alcohol in your room? Drugs maybe?" asked Paris, altogether too loudly, as Rory sat down opposite her at the table.

"Er, no," her friend shook her head definitely. "Why would you ask me that? Geez, I was only a few minutes late."

"It's not about your tardiness," Paris rolled her eyes. "It's the smile. It's so unnatural, on you anyway, the last couple of weeks I mean," she explained.

"Yeah, well. I got something good in the mail," replied Rory, showing the card to her friend.

"Jess Mariano?"

"You remember, I told you he works at a publishing house now? That he wrote a book?"

"I remember," Paris nodded once. "My God, you must have read that thing a hundred times," she rolled her eye dramatically.

"Exaggerate, much? " Rory countered lamely. "Anyway, said publishing house is having an open day and yours truly is invited. I'd so love to go."

Paris looked over the invitation with suspicion, and then her eyes drifted to Rory as the other girl ordered her food. Jess Mariano. She remembered the guy too well, his attitude, his opinions on various literature. There was no doubting he was just about perfect for Rory back then, and his upward trajectory was in his favour for being ever more worthy of Miss Gilmore now. Rory had insisted she and Jess were friends only these days, after the last time they talked a couple of months ago, but Paris couldn't help but think her friend was awfully giddy for just a friend.

"You should go," she told Rory then, handing the card back to her. "Honestly, anything to stop you moping in your room like a pathetic recluse."

Rory smiled widely as she tucked the invitation back into her bag. Yes, she definitely would go. It was only Philadelphia and just for one day, no big deal. She could see Jess and where he worked, and then come home again, no problem. She didn't feel like wondering too much on why she couldn't stop smiling about seeing her ex again. They were just friends now, and it would be good to catch up now she was in a better place - not counting her recent break up, of course. It made Rory's happy expression fade just a little to think about Logan again, but the lull in her good mood didn't last too long. She was having a better day today, she was abolsutely determined. She and Paris got onto new topics, mostly the paper and school, whilst they enjoyed their girly lunch. Still, Rory kept on thinking about her upcoming date in Philadelphia. For the first time in two weeks, she felt genuinely excited about something.

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Ch 2 - The Real Thing

**A/N: I do love that people are reading and enjoying this! It's making me very happy to write and post it :) Now, the much recalled Truncheon scene with a twist...**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 2 - The Real Thing

Rory hadn't been at Truncheon Books more than five minutes before she knew this was exactly where she wanted to be. Honestly, as excited as she had been to get the invitation, as much as she wanted to come see this place, she had a few moments over the past couple of days when she wondered if it was really a good idea. The last time she saw Jess had been great in the beginning, but so awkward by the end. They really hadn't talked since he tried to yell some sense into her about the way her life was headed, then turned and walked away again. He had been right, about everything, including Logan. It was not fun to realise it, but she couldn't deny it. Still, it was a nice surprise to Rory that Jess didn't bring it up at all, just told her he was glad she came and gave her the tour of the place. She met Luke's daughter, April, and that had been a shock. She watched out the corner of her vision as Jess paid back his uncle with a cheque Luke didn't really want to take. She finished her tour of Truncheon and then happily settled in a quiet corner to re-read The Subsect. It was all just comfortable and wonderful. Rory almost felt like she would like this event, this day, to go on much longer than it ever could. She was genuinely happy here.

It was in her quiet reverie as she neared the end of Jess' novel that the man himself found her. He pulled up a chair and it was only as she glanced around at what remained of the party Rory realised it was nothing and no-one. Everybody had cleared out, even the friends and work-mates Jess had introduced her to. All gone, and they were alone. It was an odd feeling to be by herself with him again, and the unfamiliar territory ought to make it worse, but it didn't. This place felt oddly home-like, despite the fact it was a strange town and building. Rory had to assume it was the company making her so comfortable and on-edge at the same time.

It was weird to see him be so bashful and uncomfortable when she praised his book, but she meant it. The Subsect was pure Jess, every word on every page, and that was why she loved it. She didn't say it that way exactly, but she sort of hoped he knew. Rory always knew he could do great things and this short novel in her hand proved it. It proved the wonders Jess was capable of. It proved he was the guy she always saw when the rest of the town, the world, their families, just saw a hoodlum.

When he talked about her job on the Yale Daily News, it was Rory's turn to feel silly and make light of her achievements. It was kind of a big deal that she was the editor now, but she never liked to say so. She had to admit she loved it though, and equally loved knowing that Jess liked it too. He always knew she was destined for great things, he told her as much, when she was at her lowest ebb. In the end, he had been the one to make her see the light and turn her life around. She fixed everything because he had made her notice that she needed to, and Rory would always be grateful for that.

She knew Jess was going to kiss her. The leaning in close and speaking softly, it was plain as day he was about to make a move, and she hadn't a mind to stop him. It was familiar and Rory liked that. She always liked Jess, everything about him, even way back when she was supposedly in love with Dean and knew she shouldn't be feeling that way about another guy. He was good-looking, charming, so smart and funny when he wanted to be, and when he kissed her, the whole world fell away. It was the ultimate cliché, but it was true. Rory Gilmore, who always had at least six impossible things in her head at all times, could be stunned into not just silence from her lips but from her brain too when Jess kissed her. That was a scary kind of power to experience, but she loved it, she loved him, always.

The backing off came as much of a shock to Rory as it was to Jess. He didn't get it and she could well understand why. He'd made a point of asking if she came here alone, and she said yes without really explaining. He had no reason to think she wasn't 'available' and the truth of the matter was that she really could do whatever she wanted here today. She was single, split up from Logan, and yet diving into something with Jess, however much she was tempted, she just couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry," she told him, scrambling to her feet, knowing it would hurt too much to meet his eyes. "I am... I just, I'm so stupid!"

"Why are you sorry? Rory, I don't understand what...?" he began to question her but all the words faded away when he realised she was crying.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as her body began to shake, even as she hugged herself and did her damnedest to hold it all in. Something was wrong here, very wrong.

"Rory, c'mon," he urged her, reaching out to her. "I thought when you came here, it was... I don't know, but you said everything was fixed now, and you came alone."

"I know," she sniffled. "I... Everything is fixed, everything you said was wrong is fixed, and I should be happy. I was, but..."

Jess didn't know what to do except go with the instinct to comfort the crying woman who he loved so much. He tried to pull her into his arms and after an initial moment of resistance she gave in. Sobbing into his shoulder, Rory was clearly upset by more than just him trying to kiss her. She said she had fixed her life, she had seemed genuinely happy to be here, and yet she was in floods of tears. Jess wondered vaguely about the guy Rory had been seeing, the jerk that was far from good enough for a smart girl like her. Maybe he was the problem, Jess wouldn't have been at all surprised to hear as much. Damn, he wished they were in Hartford right now, he'd punch that guy out, just like he should've done months ago.

"He cheated on me," said Rory then, muffled words against his jacket that Jess barely heard.

"Who cheated on you?" he checked, moving back a step and making her look at him. "That guy from before?"

Rory swallowed hard and nodded her head.

"Supposedly we were on a break but... Three girls. Three girls that he slept with when he was still saying he loved me," she broke down again before she hardly got the last word out and Jess pulled her back into his arms, hugging her tight.

How dare that unworthy asshole do this to Rory? His Rory! Jess so wanted to be within easy punching distance of this Logan guy right about now. He wouldn't know what hit him, or his damn Porsche if Jess had his way!

"Are you still with him?" he ground out, trying not to get mad, knowing if she said yes that he probably would be anyway.

She didn't deserve this, and he would hope she was smart enough to have dumped a guy that would dare to hurt her this way, but she was good with forgiveness, Jess knew that better than anyone. He held his breath until she answered.

"No," she admitted eventually, trying to find her voice enough to say more. "He tried at first, tried to get me back but... but I couldn't, not after that."

"That's good," said Jess like a reflex, knowing that sounded wrong to her ears before she ever frowned at him that way. "It's not good that he cheated, obviously," he clarified. "It's good that you didn't let him worm his way back in. He was a jerk, Rory. I know you knew him way better than I did, but I could tell right away he was a jerk. I know the type."

"I know," she nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling weird about being in his arms.

Jess knew he wasn't helping anymore. Spitting bile about Huntzberger, it wasn't his place. If Rory wanted to vent her spleen, that was fine, but he was better off just listening, nodding along, telling her it'd be okay. Throwing his own opinions in wasn't fair, not when the topic was the guy that pretty much replaced him in Rory's life. Jess hated even thinking that, but at the same time loved to know the douche was gone from his girl's life now. His girl. Yeah, that hadn't been relevant for a while, and yet that was still how Jess thought of Rory. He didn't know how to stop.

"I should go," she said suddenly, gone from his arms and over by the door in an instant.

"No!" he called behind her, no other words coming to mind for moments afterwards. "I, er... If you wanted to stay a while...?"

"You really think that's a good idea?" she asked, sniffling still as she wiped her hands across her cheeks and tried to hold it together - she was already failing badly.

"Hey, long before anything... happened with us," he said, gesturing vaguely between them, "we could always talk, right? You look like you could use someone to talk to right now."

He wasn't wrong, she knew that. What he said was true. Way before they dated they could just sit comfortably talking for hours and never think anything of it. There weren't a whole lot of opportunities when they weren't interrupted by a disapproving look from Lorelai or the arrival of Dean. There was certainly nothing stopping them now, no danger, no risk. Nothing had to happen here but talking, and Rory knew Jess wouldn't push or take advantage. Still, if anything did occur, it wouldn't matter. Neither of them would be cheating, that was kind of the point.

"You have to be crazy," she said, letting out a long breath. "After everything, the way I came here and cried all over you..."

"Hey, forget about it," he literally waved away her worries and was glad to see her smiling again, even if it was a watery effort. "Take a seat, I'll get us a drink. I'm guessing coffee is in order?" he smirked a little and she couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

"Coffee would be good."

* * *

"No way! I was not in any way flirting with Paris Geller," Jess insisted as Rory laughed heartily at his expression. "Geez, I didn't have a death wish! I was purely there for you, and you know it!"

Rory already knew that, but teasing him was fun. Teasing each other always had been, and laughing, and talking about books, arguing between Ayn Rand and Hemingway until all hours. This was how it used to be, and Rory felt like she was seventeen again, sat here on the floor opposite Jess, surrounded by cushions, books, and take out food containers. She needed this, just to get away and forget her troubles. They had talked about everything. Once or twice it got a little more serious when they touched on the Logan subject, but mostly he told her about Truncheon, his new friends and work-mates, funny little anecdotes that made her laugh so hard her coffee almost came out of her nose twice. She brought up tales of adventures with Paris, and what was happening with Lane, Hep Alien, Stars Hollow and all its wacky denizens.

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't want Paris, because I personally think she would've been too much for you," said Rory, finally getting her laughter under control. "She and Doyle work. It's a wacky pairing, but they do."

"That man must need his head examining," Jess rolled his eyes. "But hey, they say there's somebody out there for everyone."

There was an intensity in his eyes when he said it, that same look from earlier, a moment before he kissed her. Rory squirmed under that unwavering gaze, feeling strange. It wasn't that she didn't ever want Jess to kiss her. When it happened, she had responded at first, and she could again now if she wanted to, but it wouldn't be fair. As much as she had been feeling numb over Logan, he was still there, in her head and her heart. It would be crazy to say she was completely over it. They had dated so long, lived together, been in love. It was impossible to brush that aside after two short weeks.

"Jess, I..." she began, but he seemed to realise what had happened and what she felt about it before she ever got a chance to explain.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I just, I wish it wasn't this complicated, y'know? I mean, two single people..."

"I know," she nodded that she understood. "But I can't just... It wouldn't be fair, not to you or to me," she tried to tell him, watching his eyes go to the floor, like looking at her any longer was just painful. "Please, tell me you understand," she urged him, putting a hand to his knee, so that he would meet her eyes.

"I do," he assured her, his hand landing on top of hers. "I wish I didn't, but I do," he admitted with a hint of that smirk that was so wonderfully familiar.

They both knew the score here. She refused to rebound into him, and they were both highly aware that as nice as it would be to go around again, it would be just about as impractical and dumb as it could be right now. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like always.

"It is what it is," he sighed. "You, me."

Rory and Jess shared an odd smile as he held onto her hand still, the moment summarily broken two seconds later by the door crashing open and Jess' friends practically falling in through it. He frowned a little at the sight of Matthew and Chris, checking the watch on his wrist. His eyes went wide and Rory's did the same as she lent over and read the same digits he had just seen.

"Oh my God!" she gasped, realising the same thing Jess had - they had been sat here all night, just talking.

"Wow, time flies, huh?" he smiled, watching her scramble to her feet and grab up her jacket as she went.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," she gabbled out, throwing her arms into her sleeves. "I never meant to stay..."

"I know," he nodded following her to the door as Matthew and Chris stood by, dumb-founded (and a little drunk) just staring between the two. "Hey, you two want to go wherever," he waved a hand at them and his friends headed for the stairs.

Rory barely paid any mind as she yanked open the door and made to leave. She faltered in her exit and turned back, a little surprised to find Jess right behind her.

"Thank you, Jess," she told him sincerely. "For... everything."

"You're welcome," he smiled almost genuinely. "I am glad you came."

"Me too," she smiled back, leaning in quickly to kiss his cheek. "We should keep in touch this time, maybe? If that's okay?"

"I'd like that," he nodded his agreement, trying not to show the pain he felt as she walked out at last.

Jess stood leaning in the doorway just staring out until long after Rory was gone from his sight. Last night hadn't gone at all how he pictured, but he couldn't be sorry.

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Ch 3 - Ain't That A Kick?

**A/N: On to the next episode! In which Rory & Lorelai talk about Jess, Lorelai gets drunk at Lane's wedding, and then... not what you expect! ;)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 3 - Ain't That A Kick?

It was more than a little awkward when Lorelai flipped through the photographs on Rory's camera and ran across the one of her daughter and April. At the time it seemed as if it would be the worst moment in the whole day. Everything else had gone so well. It was crazy as anything, attending two very different styles of ceremony for one couple, but Rory loved how happy Lane looked on her special day. Weddings were a happy family occasions and everyone was in attendance, well, almost everyone.

Lorelai wasn't happy, Rory hated knowing her Mom was sad in any way at all, and it was worse knowing the main reason why was Luke. Just when things were so good between the two of them, the bombshell of April landed, and Rory couldn't help but think it wasn't being handled very well. Both Luke and Lorelai seemed to be evasive about the whole situation, like they were deliberately being as awkward as possible about it in order to destroy the happiness they had before. Rory hated that, but the moment she tried to get involved, she just seemed to make it worse. Meeting Anna might have been a conscious decision that she later regretted. Meeting April was a simple chance encounter, and given the closeness of their families, Rory couldn't resist getting a snap-shot. Whether it be via her Mom's relationship with Luke or her own on-and-off connection to Jess, Rory looked at April and saw family, one way or the other. Now she just felt panicked because her Mom had seen the picture and started to freak.

"It was just one of those things. Jess' work had an open house, I was invited, and I went, and Luke showed up there with April. It was a total fluke."

"You're seeing Jess again?" Lorelai gasped, perhaps even more shocked by that revelation than her daughter meeting her possible-future-step-daughter; Rory winced.

"I saw him, but I'm not seeing him. It wasn't a big deal," she squirmed, knowing that was a lie. "I got an invitation, and I wanted to see Truncheon Books. I didn't see any reason why I shouldn't go so... I went along."

"To Philadelphia? To see Jess?" checked Lorelai, looking bemused still.

"Yes, but we're just friends, and it's not like I was hiding it!" her daughter insisted. "It just hadn't come up yet, but yeah, we saw each other, we talked, it was... nice."

"Uh-huh."

The look on her mother' face was not good right now. The difference was that Rory wasn't entirely taking Lorelai's disapproval to heart. She knew how things were with her opinion of Jess, she even understood to a degree. Things had not ended well with Rory and her second boyfriend, not the first time around, or even after that. He left a lot, he pretty much broke her heart, but Rory had come to realise why and accept that maybe neither of them had handled their relationship very well.

Lorelai was her mother and because of that she would always be on Rory's side and against anyone who hurt her. It had practically been a case of forcibly holding her down when she found out what happened with Logan, and Rory loved how much her mother cared. She also knew that Lorelai's mood today was not entirely to do with what she just said about Jess, or about April for that matter

Lane's wedding was a reminder that Lorelai and Luke's own wedding wasn't happening. All the arrangements for the great June 3rd date which had once been set were now long gone. Everything was on hold because of April. Whilst the twelve year old in question could not be blamed for that, Rory still hated that everything had gone so wrong. Her Mom tried to be happy, tried to focus her energies on the inn, on Paul Anka, on Rory herself, but she was missing Luke and mourning the loss of her own wedding day.

Rory hadn't realised just how much Lorelai was hurting until the speeches. She made her maid of honour toast after Brian's best man's speech, and then Lorelai took the stage. It wasn't pretty, not at all. It could've been if she hadn't downed a dozen tequila shots before she hit the stage. Now she was crying, listing sideways, babbling too. Rory felt sick. Her Mom just raved on and on about how June 3rd meant nothing now, how she was never getting married. It was heart breaking for the daughter that loved her so much.

Before long, Rory knew she had to do something, and with help from her Dad, they got her Mom back to the house. She was practically unconscious by then. Rory didn't know what to do. She got out of control sometimes and it was her mother who always figured everything out and made it okay. With the shoe on the other foot, it just didn't come easy to fix things. Rory needed help, someone to tell her things were not as bad as they seemed. Luke was away, Christopher was almost as drunk as Lorelai, and Lane was enjoying her wedding night. There was just one person Rory wanted to turn to right now and at least he was available by phone, or she hoped he was.

Just as soon as she was sure her parents were okay, Rory picked up the phone and headed for her room, already dialling the number. It seemed liked forever until he picked up, and by that time, the babbling in Rory's head just came spilling out of her mouth unchecked.

"Hello?"

"It's all going wrong, and I don't know what to do, Jess."

"Rory?"

"Yes, I'm sorry," she literally face-palmed when she realised she had made no introduction, and that it was way past a reasonable time to be calling somebody without warning. "I am sorry, Jess, I just... I needed to talk to someone, and there isn't anybody here."

"So I'm a last resort?" he checked.

"No, I didn't mean..." she started to panic, but he cut in fast.

"Hey, it's cool, I know. I was just teasing," he promised her, realising now clearly wasn't the time for that. "So, what's wrong? What did you need to talk about?" he asked, pulling himself up to a sitting position in his bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

In her own home, Rory curled up on top of her own covers, hugging a pillow.

"Lane got married today."

"Wow, that was today?" Jess checked, trying to wake himself up properly, wondering why when he realised it was past midnight, but this was Rory, she was the reason. "Did it not go well?"

"No, it did," Rory smiled into her answer, and he could almost hear the expression. "She looked beautiful, and she and Zach are so happy."

"That's good," Jess smiled too, glad to realise not everything was bad right now.

Still, something was wrong. Rory didn't call like this, at random in the early hours. She was upset, that much was very clear, as yet Jess just didn't know why. He waited it out because he knew it wouldn't take long for the explanation to come.

"It was torture for my Mom," she said then, quiet and sad as ever she had been, and it tore at Jess' heart to hear it. "It just reminded her that she's not getting married. I really think she believes its never going to happen now."

Rory wanted comfort here, she wanted someone to tell her everything would work out. She should've known better. As much as Jess cared about her, and she always believed he had and did, he wouldn't lie to her. She would get the truth from him and that was all. The truth was that nobody really knew if things would work out with Luke and Lorelai, or with anyone else for that matter. Nothing was guaranteed.

"I don't know what to tell you, Rory," he said after a long pause.

"I know," she nodded, curling up tighter with the comforter. "I just... I hate that I can't do anything to make it better. When did everything get so complicated, Jess?" she asked him.

Jess sat up straighter against the headboard, pulled one knee up to his body and ran his free had through his hair. He meant what he said, he really didn't know what to say to make this better, but he wanted to. Hearing Rory sound so sad genuinely broke his heart. He hated this situation too, both the one with his uncle and Lorelai, and the one that existed between himself and Rory. She felt so far away, even though it wasn't so very far at all. Just a week ago she had been right there with him in Philadelphia, all too briefly in his arms. God, he wished he could hold her right now.

"Were things ever not complicated?" he asked, sounding way more jaded than he meant to. "C'mon, Rory, you know what relationships are like and I'm not just talking about you and me."

Of course she knew what he meant. Rory was all too well aware how easily a romance could be torn asunder. Her time with Dean ended badly on two occasions, then there was Jess himself, and Logan too. She had hoped that of all partnerships, Luke and her Mom were unsinkable . Since April came on the scene, she started to seriously wonder if she was wrong. Tonight was awful, heart-wrenching and painful. Rory never saw her mother look or behave like that before. It was scary.

"I know it's never easy," she admitted eventually. "But if you love somebody... shouldn't you try anything, _everything_ to make it work?"

Jess hadn't realised he was holding his breath until he tried to speak and couldn't. As it was he daren't go above a whisper with four other guys asleep in the same room. Actually make that three, Chris must've got lucky tonight, he realised, as he looked across the gloom. The fact was Jess could use avoiding any further ribbing from his buddies about Rory. He'd gotten enough after that night they spent together last week, doing nothing but talking over old times and such.

"I don't know what Luke thinks he's doing," he said eventually, knowing it was easier to talk about 'the grown ups' than it was to allow himself to pick up on any possible sub-text in what Rory was saying. "But I do know that in his head it'll be the right thing," he added thoughtfully. "That's all he ever does."

Rory knew that was true. Luke was a good guy and he was trying to do right by his daughter. She couldn't blame him for that, but he had to realise how much he was hurting Lorelai too. Maybe he didn't, maybe that was the problem. Rory only wished she could do something to help fix the situation, but she was coming up blank at every turn.

"Mom wants to marry him, so badly," she said then. "The postponing... I get it, I do, but I don't think Luke realises what it's doing to her."

There were tears in her voice and genuine concern for Lorelai that Jess could well understand. It made him worry, not just about her, but about his uncle too. Luke was a fool if he let the woman he loved slip through his fingers. Jess knew better than most how much it hurt to realise you had done such a stupid thing. He didn't want that to happen to the one person in his life who had always come through for him.

"Luke loves Lorelai," he told Rory definitely. "We all know those two are destined. I'm amazed it took them so long to come this far!"

"I know, and up until April came on the scene it was all headed in the right direction," she agreed with him. "I'm not blaming April, she didn't ask to be born, and it's not even Anna's fault because she never asked Luke for anything. He's just... he's focusing everything on the Nardinis now, and my Mom... I've never seen her like this, Jess. She was just drunk and sad and... It was awful."

Rory wouldn't say it but she really wished he was here right now instead of on the end of a phone. He would have helped at the wedding, helped to stop Lorelai making a fool of herself. He might've talked to Luke and made him see sense. He definitely would've put his arm around her and promised he would help her make everything okay if they possibly could.

Jess was thinking similar things miles away in Philadelphia. Of course, that didn't mean he was completely useless. He could visit if he had a mind to, and in the meantime, he could call and speak to Luke on the phone maybe. The truth was, he and Lorelai had never seen eye to eye on much, except maybe they both loved Rory most in the world. Still, Jess did know she was the only woman Luke had ever genuinely cared for, and if they broke up now, he didn't even like to think about the fall-out.

"It's late," he said eventually, lowering his voice again when one of his friends stirred in their bed nearby. "Rory, you gotta get some sleep. Try not to worry too much about Luke and your Mom. It'll work out, somehow."

"How?" she asked in a small voice and he smiled.

"Trust me, okay?"

"I do," she promised. "Thank you, Jess."

"Goodnight, Rory."

"Goodnight, Jess."

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Ch 4 - Super Complicated Related People

**A/N: Thank you dear reviewers for the wonderful feedback! :) Now, what does it take to fix the fragile Luke/Lorelai situation? Enter the nephew ;)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 4 - Super Complicated Related People

Luke was tired. Beyond tired actually, and annoyed, and a whole rake of other emotions he could well do without. It was a shame when yesterday had turned out so well. He had been nervous about Lorelai meeting April, firstly because if they didn't get along it would cause more problems than it solved, but more so because had been pretty sure they would become the best of friends, leaving Luke himself out in the cold. It turned out these were not really the things he should've been concerned with. Lorelai and April got on like a house on fire, the birthday party/sleep-over had been a great success, and yet he was still the hero somehow. It made a father feel good, at least until Anna tore into him today. Luke sighed heavily and sank down further in the chair. Between work and family he was exhausted, and yet he had another commitment to keep. He reached out for the phone and speed dialled, feeling bad that he had left it this long.

"Hey, Jess. It's me," he smiled the moment his nephew answered. "I'm sorry about before, things were kinda crazy here."

"I remember what it can be like," replied Jess easily, not at all concerned that it had taken a mere twenty four hours for his uncle to call him back.

"Oh, yeah, well, it wasn't the diner exactly. Y'see, yesterday was April's birthday," Luke explained. "We had a little party and then the girls slept over. Apparently that makes me a terrible person, but who knew right?"

Jess frowned a little at that.

"You had a bunch of twelve year olds sleeping over the at the apartment? The apartment that barely fit two of us?"

"It was Lorelai's idea," his uncle explained. "Y'know she really came through for me, but Anna's not happy, so therein lies another minefield! I'm sorry, you don't wanna hear about this."

"Actually I do."

"Really?" Luke felt surprised by that and it showed in his tone of voice as he sat up straighter in his seat. "You called me to ask what's going on with me, my daughter, my ex, and my fiancée?"

"You gonna believe me if I say yes?"

"No."

"Even if it's the truth?"

"What's going on, Jess?"

This was going to be tougher than Jess had anticipated and he realised it too late. He had made a promise to Rory to try and help figure things out with Luke and Lorelai. Honestly, he wanted to do it anyway. He hated to think of his uncle, the one and only person who had been there for him when he really needed it, ending up miserable because he couldn't balance out his life right. Just when things were on the up and up for Jess, he could see Luke's life spiralling downward if something wasn't done to fix it. Trouble was, he really wasn't much of a fixer. His pep talk to Rory a few months back had worked but that was kind of a fluke. There was no way to know how Luke would react to a similar talking to.

"Look, I know this is technically none of my business, and God knows I could use not getting involved, but you helped me out, a lot, when nobody else wanted to. Let's just call this me returning a favour, okay?" he said eventually.

"Okay," Luke nodded to himself, "though I'm still not sure what favour it is you're doing for me."

"Get married."

"What?"

"Get married, to Lorelai," Jess clarified. "C'mon, Luke, you know you want to do it. You know she loves you and you love her. Birds suddenly appear every time she's near, so why don't you just marry her already?"

There was a brief pause before Luke answered him, rubbing a hand over his face as he did so.

"Jess, it's a lot more complicated than that," he told him.

Jess tried not to smirk as he recalled Rory saying a similar thing about her own situation weeks ago. He countered his uncle's words with the same ones he used to her.

"No, it's not. It's not complicated at all. Yeah, I know what you're gonna say, you have daughter now, but what difference does that really make?" he asked. "Does it make you love Lorelai any less?"

"Of course not," Luke rolled his eyes at the very suggestion.

"Has she not been cool about you having a surprise kid?"

"She has, she's been amazing," he smiled. "Y'know, yesterday I just... I went to pieces over the birthday party for April, and Lorelai, she saved the day, she really did, and I do not get Anna's attitude about that. I mean, sure, yeah, she doesn't know Lorelai, but she knows me," he insisted. "She should trust my judgment. Lorelai is my fiancée for God's sake!"

Jess liked to hear Luke getting mad at someone other than him; it was refreshing. Of course, it was also good to know that he wasn't taking Anna's attitude lightly, and that Lorelai really did still mean something to him.

"Does she knows that?" he checked.

"Of course, I told Anna that I was engaged."

"No, Luke," he rolled his eyes, switching the phone to his other hand. "Does Lorelai know she's still your fiancée? Because from what Rory said..."

"You talked to Rory?"

Jess winced at the question. This was off topic and not something he wanted to get into right now. Helping Luke redefine his relationship with Lorelai was one thing. Trying to do the same with himself and Rory was quite another.

"We've been in touch," he said as explanation, before pressing on. "Does Lorelai know she's still your fiancée? 'Cause from what I hear, she's not convinced the big day is ever gonna come."

Luke sat forward in his seat, feeling oddly shaken by that statement.

"Of course it's going to come," he said definitely. "We just... we postponed it."

"Why?"

"Because things got crazy" he insisted. "Because of April..."

"April can be a bridesmaid or the kid with the flowers or whatever the heck else you have at a big flashy wedding," Jess told him, trying to keep his frustration in check because he just knew his uncle was not doing this on purpose. "Luke, you gotta listen to me on this, if you don't make this marriage happen, or at least make sure Lorelai knows you're still serious about her, you're gonna lose her," he said definitely. "Take it from the guy who knows how much it hurts to lose a Gilmore girl, you do not want that to happen."

Luke considered what he was being told and knew his nephew could well have a point. He really hadn't spent as much time with Lorelai as he should lately. April took over everything and that wasn't entirely fair. He still thought it was probably best that they postponed the wedding, but he hadn't thought about it too much from Lorelai's point of view. He needed to do that.

At the same time, Luke couldn't help but notice the distinctively soft tone that crept into Jess' voice when he talked about Rory and the breakdown of that relationship. A feint smile curved his lips then.

"You still love Rory, don't you?" he asked.

"Will you talk to Lorelai?" his evasive nephew threw back.

"Jess..."

"Luke!"

"I don't even know why you're doing this," he shook his head. "You and Lorelai never even got along."

"We did once, briefly," Jess recalled. "But still... She had her reasons to hate me, I get that, more now than I did at the time. Anyway, the point is not how well _I_ get along with your girlfriend, it's how much _you_ want to keep her," he said definitely. "I know you, Luke. I know both of you, and I always knew you were supposed to be together. Please, don't screw up like I did."

He sounded genuinely pained about it and Luke's heart ached to hear such hurt in a voice so young. Poor Jess. He really had screwed up with Rory, but with the examples he had been set when it came to relationships, Luke couldn't really blame the guy.

"I won't screw it up, I promise," he said softly, feeling bad that he couldn't help his nephew out this time.

"Good, then my work here is done."

"You're a good kid, Jess," said Luke with a smile he couldn't help.

"Hey, I was all grown up a minute ago," he countered with a smirk his uncle could practically hear.

"You know what I mean. Take care of yourself," he advised. "And for what it's worth, I'm still holding out hopes for you and Rory."

There was a pause before Jess replied;

"Yeah, well. I'll see ya, Luke."

* * *

Lorelai had been doing a lot of thinking. Luke had been so mad about the whole situation with the Nardinis and she had decided the best thing she could do was go see Anna herself, explain how neither she nor Luke meant any harm with the party and all. She was sure two single mothers coming from the same kind of life could have a reasonable conversation and figure things out.

It seemed almost like a case of perfect timing when the front door flew open and her fiancé strode into the house.

"Luke, hey, I'm glad you're here," she smiled, looking up at him from the couch. "I was thinking about what you said, about Anna, and..."

"Get your jacket," he said, cutting her off as he all but hauled her up off the couch by her hand.

"What?"

"Please, just get your jacket and come get in the truck."

Lorelai was bemused but she didn't like to a argue. If Luke needed to her to go with him he had to have a good reason. She grabbed her jacket as he asked and hurried after him right back out the door.

"Okay, but where are we going?" she asked, pulling on her jacket as they went.

"We're gonna get this figured out once and for all," he said definitely, climbing into the driver's side of the truck.

Lorelai hopped into the passenger seat and barely got her seat-belt fastened before they peeled out of the driveway at maximum speed. It wasn't like Luke to break a speed limit or drive in any way erratically. Lorelai wouldn't go so far as to say she was afraid right now, but he was making her worry at the very least.

"Luke? Luke!" she yelled for his attention, more so when he swerved in and out of traffic. "Seriously, where are we going? I thought you were mad at me, I didn't..."

The car swung to the side again and Lorelai stopped talking abruptly as they lurched down a side road and Luke pulled on the hand brake. He shut off the engine, and exhaled a long breath.

"Seriously, Luke. What is going on?" asked Lorelai, so bemused by this whole situation, it just made no sense.

"Lorelai, I'm sorry if... I just, lately things have been..." he tried to explain and yet couldn't find a way as he grew more frustrated with himself. "Screw it!" he said eventually, turning in his seat until he was facing her as much as possible within confines of the truck, and picked up her hand in his own. "Lorelai, will you marry me?"

"Uh, yeah" she replied, in a tone that suggested he was very dumb. "Already engaged, remember?" she said, waving her free hand at him on which her engagement rang sat.

"I do remember, I'm just... I guess I'm checking that you do," Luke explained badly. "Look, I know it was wrong of me to postpone the wedding, and I never even considered how that would make you feel, and I'm sorry. I just, I thought you knew how much you mean to me. I'm not that guy, the one that buys the flashy gifts and declares his love every thirty seconds, but I thought you knew."

Lorelai swallowed hard feeling tears prick her eyes.

"I do know, most of the time," she assured him. "You've been dealing with a lot, with April and everything. I... I guess sometimes I just feel like I'm in the way of things..."

"Hey, you are never in the way," he assured her, putting a careful hand to her face when she tried to turn away. "Or if you are, that's where I want you to be. I want you in my way, in my path, always where I can see that you're there, because I can't have a life without you in it, Lorelai, I just can't," he told her sincerely. "You understand?"

"Yeah," she nodded, a huge smile coming onto her face, even as she sniffled back tears.

For a guy that wasn't good with feelings or the expressing of them, Luke could be an absolute prince sometimes, and so much sweeter than he would ever be comfortable with her saying.

"Okay. So, now we're going to go see Anna, and get this straightened out," he said, leaning in to kiss her lips briefly before he focused on getting the truck started again.

"Luke, I don't want to make things difficult..." said Lorelai quickly, but he wouldn't hear her.

"You're not," he shook his head as he got them back onto the road. "You helped out so much yesterday, you're great with April, she absolutely loves you," he promised her. "Now, I know Anna is her mother and she has a right to her opinions and all, but April is _my_ daughter too, _you_ are my fiancée, and it is not right that you two can't have a relationship."

Lorelai couldn't answer that. She just smiled and felt so giddy inside. Her fiancé did still love her, still wanted to marry her, and was ready to do battle with the mother of his kid just so he could have the best of both worlds, both Lorelai and April in his life at the same time. She never loved him more than in this moment.

* * *

By the time they arrived at Anna Nardini's store, Lorelai had got a hold of her emotions. Her eyes were dry, her smile was less delirious. She grabbed onto Luke's hand the moment they were out of the truck, offering as much support as she could with her presence as they went inside.

"Anna, we need to talk," he told the pretty blonde behind the counter.

"Well, I'm a little busy right now..." she tried to argue, eyeing Lorelai with obvious suspicion, but the other woman wouldn't flinch.

"It won't take long," Luke insisted. "This is Lorelai Gilmore; she is my fiancée," he introduced. "Not my girlfriend or some woman I'm casually dating, my _fiancé_e. I am going to marry her, not right this minute, but it is going to happen, and soon. That means she is a huge part of my life, and since April is also a huge part of my life, they are going to have to see each other and form some kind of relationship."

April's face hardened at the sound of Luke's apparent demands. Lorelai understood both sides of this but right now was not a good time for her to speak and for once she knew it.

"You don't get to come into my life, or my daughter's life, and make demands, Luke," said Anna snippily. "That said, if you and Lorelai are serious about each other, I do understand why she needs to get to know April," she considered, then switching her focus to Lorelai. "Honestly, she already pretty much loves you."

"That's a great kid you have there," she smiled in response to that. "Reminds me a little bit of my own actually. My Rory. I think they'll make great step-sisters," she considered. "Listen, Anna, I'm sorry. I know this must be rough for you. Believe me, I know what it is to want to protect your baby with everything you have," she explained honestly. "I didn't let a guy into Rory's life that I wasn't so sure would be sticking around. I'm so certain about Luke, I mean, really, _really_ certain. I promise you, I would not do anything I thought would lead to April getting hurt," she promised, gripping onto her fiancé's hand still.

If Anna couldn't tell that they were in love then she had to be blind.

"I believe you," she nodded then. "I don't know why since I never even met you before, but Luke trusts you. Besides, us single Moms have to stick together, I guess."

Lorelai tried not to grin too much, but it didn't come easy.

"I'd love to get to know you too," she told Anna seriously. "I mean, once Luke and me are married, you and I will be connected. Not related exactly, but still, I think it might be nice, to be friends?"

"Yeah, maybe," Anna considered it. "We'll see."

It was like everybody let out a collective sigh of relief in that moment. The air was cleared, everything was figured out. Honestly, with every passing moment, Luke felt as if another pound of weight was being removed from his shoulders, and that felt good.

"So, Lorelai and April, they can see each other sometimes?" he doubled-checked with Anna. "Not all the time, obviously, I know it's important that April gets some one-on-one time with me too, but..."

"Yes, okay," she confirmed. "If April is okay with it, I guess I can be too."

"I'm glad we got that figured out," he smiled, glad to see his ex smile back.

Lorelai held out her free hand then.

"Thank you, Anna. It was a pleasure meeting you, despite the circumstances."

"You too," she agreed as they shook hands before Lorelai and Luke turned to leave.

When they got outside, Luke attempted to go straight to the truck, but Lorelai's grip on his hand pulled him back around to face her. He looked at her with a question in his eyes, wondering what she wanted. Her answer couldn't have been more perfect as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a good long kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked when they parted, foreheads still touching.

"Because I love you, Luke Danes," she told him with a grin, "and I am going to marry you some day, hopefully soon."

"That's good," he smiled right back at her, "because I love you too, and you are going to be the most beautiful bride."

"Oh, you betcha ass I am," she told him, as they both laughed, and then fell into another kiss.

From here on out, it was all going to be okay, they just knew it.

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Ch 5 - Surprising Miss Gilmore

**A/N: So, Luke & Lorelai are happy, time to work on Rory & Jess! :)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 5 - Surprising Miss Gilmore

It had become a daily occurrence. Jess would say it wasn't deliberate, at least not on his part. Rory would say the same, except that wouldn't be entirely true. She knew that it was the same now as it had always been. Jess was her worst and favourite habit. When Lorelai came home grinning from ear to ear, proclaiming that the world was beautiful, Rory knew Jess must have talked to Luke. She called him immediately to thank him for being wonderful. The next day, he called her, to check things were still okay, which had led to a two hour talk about everything and nothing. The day after, she called him again, initially to let him know how her finals were going, but then they had got onto everything else again. Rory loved their conversations, and so each day they had continued, because Jess seemed to love them too.

"I'm glad you called," she told him when he did so the next day. "I just wish... No, it doesn't matter," she back-pedalled fast.

"C'mon, tell me, what do you wish?" he asked curiously, wondering if what he suspected was true.

"It's not fair of me to say this, I know, but I kinda wish all our conversations didn't have to be by phone," she admitted then, wandering through to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. "I mean, I guess they won't have to be soon. School's out in a couple of days. I already practically moved back home for the summer, so if you didn't mind, I guess I could visit, maybe? Jess?" she prompted when he didn't answer for a long moment.

"Y'know, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for you to come to Philadelphia right now."

Rory's smile fell right off her face at those words. She really thought that things were okay now, that Jess was glad they were talking again and everything. Maybe she was wrong. She didn't really have a chance to ask when the doorbell rang and she immediately went to answer it.

"I'm sorry," she apologised to Jess as she went. "I guess I was wrong about where we were in this friendship..."

Her words all went away when she opened the front door and saw who was standing on her porch. It was unlike a Gilmore to be speechless, but when Rory was faced with Jess Mariano, still holding his cell phone to his ear as he smiled at her, she couldn't breathe, never mind speak.

"Jess," she gasped, rushing at him on instinct and hugging him tight.

Jess had never been so happy to be almost bowled over in his life. He hugged Rory back a moment and then suddenly she was kissing him, and he returned that too. They parted a few seconds later, and Rory blushed bright red on realising just exactly what she had done. It was adorable.

"Well, that was a nice greeting to walk into," he smiled, unable to help it.

"It was a nice surprise when you walked in," she replied, feeling suddenly bashful.

Truth be known, it was an odd moment for Jess too. They had decided to be friends a few weeks ago in Philly, and that had been that. Though they were both free and single, Rory wasn't ready to dive back into anything serious, since she had only just recently broken up from the guy Jess liked to call 'the blond dick from Yale'. The kiss had come out of the blue, and whilst he didn't mind at all, he wasn't going to make a big deal and screw everything up again. Rory meant too much for that to happen.

"So I thought maybe I'd come see for myself that Luke and Lorelai are back on track," he said, wandering into the hallway and looking around.

"You won't have to wait long. We're all having dinner together tonight," smiled Rory as she went with him through to the living room.

"Looks good in here," he noted, checking out the new decor.

"It does," Rory agreed, smiling as a dog came running in and straight towards Jess. "Oh, this is Paul Anka. He's a little skittish so... Okay, then."

Her sentence became irrelevant when Paul Anka came pawing at Jess, apparently wanting to be his best friend.

"Hey, boy. How're you doing?"

Jess crouched to the floor to pet the dog who seemed only to happy to accept the fussing. Rory was astounded, but pleased. Maybe her Mom didn't understand what she saw in Jess, but it seemed Paul Anka did!

"Jess, why are you here?" asked Rory then. "I mean, it's great that you're here, but why?" she repeated when he glanced up at her.

The smirk was back, the one that made her melt inside, even though she could never explain why.

"I was just thinking," he told her, "about June 3rd..."

Luke was thrilled when he and Lorelai arrived home for dinner and there was Jess sat on the couch with Rory. Though he was quite prepared to crash at a hotel or wherever, Luke insisted that his nephew stay in the apartment above the diner. Since he was practically living with Lorelai these days, it made no difference to Luke, and so it had all been agreed. That was three days ago now, and it had been all strangely familial and calm with the four of them. Even Lorelai and Jess were trying to get along, though there was no doubt she found it easier these days because a) she was so giddily in love with Luke, and b) Jess was no longer dating Rory. Of course, if she had been paying any real attention, she would have realised her daughter and Luke's nephew were spending almost every moment of free time together. She might have been surprised to realise it was for her rather than themselves.

"Okay, so we got back the florist, the caterer..." Jess counted off the list.

"But the church is gone, and I can't figure out what Mom did with the dress. The perfect, perfect dress!" Rory complained, stamping her feet like a toddler having a tantrum.

"Geez," he rolled his eyes at her attitude. "Could you let me know when you plan on aging back up from three?"

Rory's response was to stick out her tongue at him. She felt it was perfectly ironic, and Jess knew it too. It made him smile. Sure, they had both moved on with their lives and grown up a lot, but honestly, sat here together across the kitchen table at the Gilmore house, it was almost too much like old times to bear.

"I guess we should focus on the good things," she squirmed slightly. "We did well to get as much as this rebooked in the circumstances."

"All thanks to the Mariano charm," Jess smirked as he shuffled the paperwork on the table. "Never fails."

"Don't I know it," replied Rory like a reflex, one that she immediately regretted when their eyes met and he continued to smile. "Er, do you think we should include April in the plans?" she said fast, getting up to pour more coffee into her cup. "I'm pretty sure she'd love to be a bridesmaid or something."

Jess knew he had made Rory uncomfortable, or moreover she had done that to herself, but the moment was apparently gone now, and he wouldn't comment on it.

"Probably, but can she keep a secret?"

"Well, I really don't know her that well. Maybe we'll ask her after Mom and Luke know what we're doing," she considered, returning to the table with a grin on her face.

That confused Jess after the uncomfortableness that came just a moment before.

"What?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "I just... I'm happy for them, just genuinely happy," she explained. "When Mom almost married Max, I so wanted that to happen, I really did, but I think a part of me always knew it wasn't right somehow. Don't get me wrong, Max was a great guy, and I would have been so happy with him being my step-father, but Luke is... he's always been... Not my Dad exactly, because I have one of those but..."

"I know what you mean," Jess cut in, because he did know, he knew exactly.

As much as Luke was not biologically a father to either of them, he had helped so much in raising them to be the people they were today. He was a good guy who had changed both their lives for the better, and they both appreciated it more than they could say. They shared another smile at the realisation, but then the frown was back on Rory's face too suddenly.

"So, when Mom and Luke are married," she considered, "that makes us... step cousins?"

"Legally, I guess," Jess agreed with a nod, as she continued to look a little weirded out. "Doesn't really matter anymore, right? I mean once upon a time, I guess it would've seemed weird, but now?"

"Now, it's fine," she nodded along, knowing he was right.

Of course, on some level, they were both just waiting for the other to break, to admit to something, anything, about their relationship, but all talk of what they were or what they could be seemed to be permanently on the back burner lately. Just when it seemed as if maybe this time they were going to have the conversation, they were interrupted.

"Rory?"

There was a mad scramble to hide all evidence of what they were doing as Lorelai made her presence known. By the time she found Rory and Jess, they were sat either side of the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in their hands, looking innocent enough. Still, something seemed off to the elder Ms Gilmore.

"Hey, you two," she smiled, about to ask what was going on when suddenly Jess was on his feet.

"I should go," he said, out of the back door before anyone could say another word.

Lorelai looked to Rory; "Something I said?"

"No, he just had to go," her daughter shrugged. "Busy guy, y'know?"

"I know," her mother agreed, even as Rory rushed off to her bedroom.

Something was definitely going on here, and Lorelai knew it. She didn't know what the something was though, and Rory was glad about that. She waited in her room a little while until she heard her Mom head upstairs, then she dialled Jess' cell.

"That was close," he said on answering her call. "So maybe we should tell them, sooner rather than later. I mean, we've done almost all we can do," he said, walking down Stars Hollow's familiar streets with Rory's voice in his ear.

"We don't have a church," she moaned, but that wasn't bothering him so much, especially as he neared the town square and realised his latest idea was probably a good one.

"Yeah, I was thinking about that. Does it actually have to be a church?" he checked. "I mean, Luke's not even religious and your Mom's not exactly Mrs Kim."

"That is true," Rory considered. "Ooh, what about in the town square? In the gazebo, maybe?"

Jess smiled as she described exactly what he was imagining as he stared at the very place she spoke of.

"And _that_ is what I was thinking."

* * *

The wedding was almost completely organised. Jess had planned to have it set up better than this, but Rory was getting as excitable as a five year old at Christmas, and he knew she wouldn't be able to keep a secret much longer. As it was, Lorelai was starting to give them suspicious looks. She had to know something was up, though Jess considered her first assumption would be that he and Rory were getting back together. The very thought of it made him want to smile and frown all at once. There was nothing he'd like better than for that to happen, and yet he couldn't see it right now. One very good kiss weeks ago in Philadelphia, and another brief moment of the same when he first got to Stars Hollow, that was all they'd had so far. He thought there was hope, after all, they were getting along as well now as they had the first time he came to town at the age of seventeen. Jess got the girl that time, it had taken a while but he got her. He remembered regretfully that he also lost her by being a fool. Maybe it was better that they were staying friends this time, but somehow he couldn't quite believe it.

"Hey, you're thoughtful," said Rory as they walked over from her house to the diner in silence. "Is something wrong?"

"What would be wrong?" he asked with a shrug, though he barely looked at her.

Rory knew something was up, because he was being way too quiet. Jess had a habit of clamming up in front of company, but never with her. They talked about everything and this past week with him in Stars Hollow, the two of them reorganising a wedding together, it had been great. Rory recalled then that this wasn't Jess' home anymore, that he had Philadelphia and Truncheon Books to get back to. Her heart sank a little thinking of how he would leave soon and how she would miss him.

"After all the effort, they better be happy we did this," said Jess as he and Rory reached the diner door and peered in at Luke, Lorelai, and April.

It seemed like the perfect time to announce the plans they had been making, but there was always that concern that one or the other of the couple wouldn't appreciate the gesture, however well meant.

Heading inside, both Rory and Jess were greeted with smiles and waves, and offered coffee. They sat down together by the counter with Lorelai and April, whilst Luke continued to serve the few customers he had this time of day.

"What've you guys been up to today?" asked Lorelai with a pointed look at her daughter in particular.

"Nothing," she said definitely, knowing what was being implied and feeling a blush rise in her cheeks.

"It's okay, Luke told me you two used to date," said April, stabbing the straw into her milkshake. "Its perfectly normal for people your age to want to..."

"Okay, that's enough!" said Luke sharply.

April smirked into her drink and Lorelai did the same.

"So, um, we kind of have a surprise for you guys," said Rory then, awkward as she had ever been.

Lorelai was holding her breath, waiting for the news that her daughter and Luke's hoodlum nephew were back together. She expected it, and whilst she wasn't thrilled about it, she would admit that Jess seemed a whole lot more settled and a better person these days. She wasn't sure how long distance Stars Hollow to Philadelphia would work, but that really wasn't her business anymore.

"Er, me and Rory have been making some plans... for you two," he said, looking between Luke and Lorelai. "Here."

He handed over some folded pieces of paper from his pocket, and Rory couldn't stop grinning as Luke took them and read them. A second later, eyes wide and jaw slack, he handed them to Lorelai. She looked equally as bowled over by what she was seeing.

"What's happening?" asked April from in between them.

"We're getting married," gasped Lorelai, tears in her eyes and her voice. "June 3rd."

"June 3rd," Luke echoed with a smile before turning his attention back to his nephew and Rory. "How did you...?"

"Hey, are we not the smartest people you know?" asked Jess with a smirk.

"I think we should be," Rory threw in, grinning because she just couldn't help herself.

"Huh. Cool," said April as she peered over Lorelai's shoulder at the arrangements listed out on paper. "Can I be a bridesmaid?"

She barely got an answer before the crying, hugging, and thanking started. Rory thought her Mom was going to squeeze the very life out of her, but that was okay. Lorelai was so happy, and Luke was obviously moved too. It was wonderful to see.

"It was Jess' idea, Mom," Rory told her. "I couldn't have done all this myself, even if I had thought of it. He played a big part."

Lorelai clearly didn't know how to take that. It was no secret she never liked Jess, and she had good reasons that even he himself understood. Still, they had gotten along okay the last few days, and he had done an amazing thing in furthering her happiness with Luke. Looking from her daughter to her fiancé and then finally at Jess, she gave into the moment of happiness and reached to hug her future nephew-in-law.

"C'mere, you hoodlum," she laughed and cried at the same time as she grabbed him.

Jess looked stunned, but to his credit didn't complain. He even hugged her back a moment.

"So," he said as they parted, "does this mean I get to call you Auntie Lorelai now?" he smirked wickedly.

For maybe the first time ever, Lorelai didn't want to hit him for his smart ass comment. She just continued laughing and crying over everybody. She honestly hadn't been this happy in weeks!

_To Be Continued..._


	6. Ch6 - Partners aka June 3rd

**A/N: Last chapter, peops, and it doesn;t have much to do with the last episode... Meh, I think you'll like it. I hope so anyway! :) Thank you to all my lovely reviewers - you're wonderful!**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 6 - Partners, a.k.a. June 3rd

_7.45am_

It had to be some kind of miracle that Lorelai Gilmore was up so early, and before her daughter had even made it out of bed. Of course, there was a good reason for her excitement and need to start the day so soon. Today was June 3rd and that meant one thing.

"I'm getting married!" she yelled excitedly as she burst in Rory's room.

Her daughter stirred in the bed, reacting with a physical jump at the noise.

"I'm getting married today!" Lorelai enthused, coming over to bounce on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, I know this," agreed Rory as she sat herself up, pushing her hair out of her face. "But not for hours yet," she noted, wide-eyed as she read the digital display of her clock. "7:45?" she gasped, shocked that her Mom could be up and at 'em at such a time, especially on a Saturday when she didn't have to work.

"Rory?" prompted Lorelai, getting her daughter's attention fully on her. "Rory, I'm getting married," she repeated, quietly, seriously, with a smile that lit up her whole face.

"I know," she smiled back at her mother. "And I am so incredibly happy for you," she assured her.

"This is right. I know it is," nodded Lorelai. "I thought it was before, with Christopher, with Max, but I was wrong. Luke is the one. He was always the one."

Rory was soon grinning just as widely as her mother. She knew she was right. Luke Danes had been the only guy for Lorelai. Rory had seen it, as had most the town apparently, though it had taken the couple themselves a while to see the truth. Sure, there had been bumps in the road, and there probably would be again, but for now things were as they should be. Today was the wedding of Luke and Lorelai, two people who truly belonged together. Rory was as happy as they were that this day had finally come.

Still, when Lorelai rushed off to shower and start getting ready for the ceremony (even though they were not getting married until two this afternoon) Rory's smile faded to a serious look that was much less happy. Her Mom had it all right now, a good man that she loved that loved her too, who she was going to marry and be with forever. Rory herself didn't have that, not even close.

At the age of fifteen, she started dreaming of a happily ever after with Dean Forester. After that, she thought Jess was the one, and more recently, Logan Huntzberger. Now she was single again, staring into the future where she had no-one's hand to hold, nobody to share things with. That was dumb and untrue, of course, because she wasn't exactly a hermit. She had friends and family. She had her Mom and Luke, Sookie and Jackson, Paris and Doyle. Rory had Jess too. They weren't dating, they were just friends now, and she knew that had to be for the best. Still, she couldn't help feeling just a little sad that they might never get a chance to be more than that now. It was as much her fault as anyone elses, she knew, but that only made her feel worse.

With a sigh, she threw back the covers and hopped out of bed. No time now to be dwelling on the complications of her own live life. Today was all about her Mom and Luke, and how happy they were going to be together from here on out. That had to be Rory's focus, at least for now.

_7.47am_

Jess woke up with the sun in his eyes and a spring digging into his back. It was a little strange to be back in this bed. Honestly, Jess was amazed Luke hadn't thrown it out, but no, his end of the apartment looked much like it always had. His uncle seemed almost afraid of change sometimes, and yet today would mark a very big shift in his life. The bachelor was about to become a married man.

"Did you even try to sleep last night?" asked Jess as he sat up in the bed and looked at Luke, hunched over the kitchen table with a bottle of beer in his hand.

It was where he had left him almost eight hours before.

"Not really," his uncle admitted, as Jess padded across the floor in only his T-shirt and boxers, pushing his unruly hair back off his face. "I'm getting married today," said Luke, too solemnly - it made his nephew worry.

"Luke, don't do this," he advised sagely, as if he were the older and wiser man in the room. "Don't back out now, it's not what you want, and Lorelai..."

"Hey, I'm not backing out," his uncle told him definitely. "Seriously, I am not. The thought never crossed my mind," he swore, meeting Jess' eyes.

He believed him. He always believed Luke, at least as long as he'd known him well enough to do so. As a rule, the guy didn't lie, he was more decent and honest than anyone Jess ever met, except for Rory who was pretty much angelic, especially when they first met. Luke was one of the good guys, one of the few in fact, and he was committed to Lorelai. This was why Jess couldn't understand his inability to sleep last night.

"So what's the problem?" he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he dropped into the opposite chair.

Luke was quiet a long moment, contemplating his almost empty beer bottle a while. Eventually he looked up to meet Jess' inquisitive gaze and gave his answer.

"Nothing," he admitted. "Absolutely nothing is wrong, and... and I actually think that is what's freaking me out," he said with a wry smile, knowing just how crazy that must sound to anyone else, but Jess wasn't going to judge.

"I know what you mean," he nodded then. "I didn't think things could ever get this good for me. You start to wonder when the next bomb is gonna hit, right?"

"Right," Luke agreed with a smile. "I told you how proud I was of you, right?"

"About fifty times," Jess rolled his eyes. "But I appreciate it."

The touchy feely moment ended abruptly as the two grew uncomfortable with it. Sure, they loved each other in their own way, but they were guys and talking about it was weird. Besides, there were things to do today, very important things, like getting to the not-a-church on time.

Luke headed off to the shower then, whilst Jess put on the machine for coffee. He peered out of the window at the town square and smiled. It was a beautiful day already, the sun was shining, and it really did look like the perfect day for a wedding in Stars Hollow. He was to be the best man and Rory the maid of honour. As tradition dictated, he was her escort for the day. The thought of it made the smile slide right off Jess' face. It had been so good these last few weeks, reconnecting. They were nothing more than friendly right now, spending time together in Stars Hollow, arranging this wedding for Luke and Lorelai. He had to go back to Philly a couple of times, but most of his work for Truncheon could be done at a distance, and the guys could do without him, for a little while anyway. After the wedding, he would have to go back to his new home for good, and Jess really wasn't sure how he felt about that. Stars Hollow would always feel like a place he belonged, even if it was two-parts insane asylum, one-part story book.

"Jess!" he heard Luke yell from the bathroom then.

"What?"

"You have the rings, right?"

"Yes, I have the rings," he confirmed, rolling his eyes.

It was going to be a long day.

_12.35pm_

Rory stood before the full length mirror in her room and double-checked her appearance. Her bridesmaids dress was a beautiful shade of blue that matched her eyes, and her hair was curled and pinned up just so. She felt ridiculously grown up as she stood there looking at herself a moment, wondering vaguely what Jess would think when he saw her. He was the best man and she was the maid of honour. There were certain connotations attached to that which made her blush each time she thought of him, but she didn't mind at all.

Shaking her head free of such thoughts, she rushed out of her quiet room into the chaos of the house once more. She had only managed to get away from the general anarchy for a moment because her Mom needed something 'borrowed' to wear and Rory had promised a bracelet from her collection. The 'new' was the dress and shoes, the blue appeared in Lorelai's garter, and that only left something 'old' to be provided. Everyone had been stunned when Emily produced a necklace that had belonged to her mother and then to her. She gave it to Lorelai declaring she was to have it now, on the day of her wedding.

Rory had been amazed at the calmness of her grandmother in all of this. A last minute rushed wedding, organised by Rory and Jess, she expected her grandma to find it all unseemly and wrong, but no. She had been graceful, accepting, and even nice about it. It was wonderful to see.

"There's my girl," said Lorelai when Rory got back to the bedroom.

"There's my Mom, the bride," she countered, tearing up at the sight of Lorelai now wearing her tiara and veil along with everything else - she was a vision.

Sookie was already crying, Lane wasn't far behind, and Rory swore even Emily had a tear in her eye. Any minute now, Anna was due to arrive with April, and then the bridal party would be complete. Right on time, the doorbell rang.

_12.40pm_

"So, here for the wedding?" asked Anna as she stood awkwardly on the Gilmore girls front porch with April at her side.

"I am," the man beside her agreed, suddenly noting his daughter was sticking out her tongue at the older girl a few feet away. "Gigi!"

"It's fine," April smiled, pushing her glasses further up her nose. "She's cute. I'm April by the way, Luke's daughter. This is my Mom, Anna."

"Ah, right" the man replied. "I'm Christopher, Rory's father, and this is my other daughter, Gigi."

"This family tree gets no less complicated," said Anna, looking as if she felt a headache coming on, mostly because she did.

Chris couldn't help but chuckle at the expression, because he had to agree with her. A crash beyond the door had everyone feeling serious again in a second, and then said door opened and a flustered looking Sookie faced them all with a grin. Her expression changed to panic when she looked from Anna and April, to Chris and Gigi.

"Don't freak out, Sookie," he told her gently. "I am here to be supportive and congratulatory. Nothing else, I swear."

"Good. That's very good," she agreed, letting everyone inside at last.

Still, she couldn't help but worry things were about to go very wrong.

_2.02pm_

"This is ridiculous!" said Luke, clearly angry and frustrated, as he stood inside the gazebo, checking his watch for the fourteenth time. "I know brides are traditionally late, I understand it's one of those prerogatives women have, but why? Why is it just okay for them to be late to their own wedding?"

"Would you relax?" Jess urged him, grabbing him by the shoulders and attempting to stop the pacing in such a small space, because it was making him dizzy. "Two minutes, Luke. Lorelai is literally two minutes late, it is not a big deal yet."

"Yet! Exactly, not a big deal _yet_!" he echoed. "I mean, how long is too long? Is five minutes okay, or ten? When do we just assume she's just not coming?"

"Hey!" his nephew got his attention and made sure he held it. "We never assume that, because she _is_ coming. For some reason the crazy woman really loves you and actually does want to spend her life with you, so calm down, okay?"

He was smiling at how easy it was to tease his uncle, and how completely nutso the usually fairly together guy was getting over this. It just proved how much he loved Lorelai, how much he really wanted to marry her. These people gave Jess hope for himself and Rory, however unfounded it might be.

_2.04pm_

"This is ridiculous!" said Lorelai, clearly frustrated, as she stood on the front porch, trying to get her breath for the fourteenth time. "I know brides traditionally get cold feet on their wedding day, I know that, but I want this! I really, genuinely, have never wanted anything more, so what is the matter with me?!" she asked, holding out her hand that shook as if she were having some kind of fit.

"Would you relax, please?" Rory urged her, grabbing her by the shoulders and attempting to stop the pacing in such a small space because it was making her dizzy.

"I can't! I wish I could, but I can't!" Lorelai complained.

She was only glad her mother and the rest of the bridesmaids had already made their way around to the town square in the first car. Now there was just Lorelai and Rory, Richard waiting in the car for them to move their butts, and Christopher about to leave with Gigi in tow.

"Hey," he said as he appeared behind her.

"Chris, now is not a good time if you're about to ask me to run away with you!" she said definitely, making him smile.

"No, our time has passed," he sighed, shaking his head. "Lor, you and me, we had our turn, and it was good. I don't regret a single minute we spent together, and I will always love you, but... but I know you and Luke are meant to be together. Everybody knows it, and nobody more than you."

He was maybe the last person she expected a pep talk from, and yet Lorelai was glad of it. Rory welled up on hearing her father speak so beautifully too, and out-right cried when her parents hugged each other.

"Thank you, Chris," Lorelai whispered. "For everything."

A minute later she was rushing towards the car and Rory had to run, very awkwardly in heels, to catch up. Finally, they were off!

_2.20pm_

Rory felt ridiculously emotional as she stood by and watched her mother and Luke make their marriage vows to each other. This is what they had been wanting all this time, not just the bride and groom themselves, but Rory, Jess, and so many others too. The whole town of Stars Hollow had been holding it's breath just waiting for this moment, and now here they all were, happy as anything to see Lorelai Gilmore become Mrs Luke Danes.

Jess was smiling at the happy couple and then at Rory as her gaze shifted to meet his own. He never looked so good and Rory just knew he had to hate being in that suit, but he didn't complain, not at all. As the happy couple kissed at last and then stepped down from the gazebo, hand in hand, it was the best man who started the round of applause. Rory reached to hug her mother, Jess shook hands with Luke, and everybody piled in to say congratulations.

"Here," said Jess as he appeared at Rory's side a moment later, handing her the handkerchief from his top pocket.

She hadn't really noticed she was crying until then.

"Thanks," she sniffled. "I am so happy for them," she smiled then. "Aren't you just so happy for them?"

"Actually, yes," he agreed, watching his uncle grinning like a fool and kissing Lorelai on the lips to rapturous applause and shouts of joy. "This is how they're supposed to be."

Rory was ecstatic for her Mom and Luke, but standing here with Jess, the ex she knew she would always love more than any other guy, knowing they were nothing more than friends and maybe never should be, that was tough.

The crowd started to disperse towards the diner where the Reception was to be held. Rory walked slowly behind the gathering of people, expecting Jess to follow, instead she felt his hand at her elbow, turning her back around.

"Hey, er, I need to show you something," he said, reaching into his inside pocket and then handing her the papers he found there.

"A plane ticket to Philadelphia," she said, swallowing hard. "You're going back... tomorrow?" she note sadly.

"I thought your fancy school and college taught you how to count at least," Jess rolled his eyes, waiting for Rory to catch on.

It took a moment for her to realise there was a second ticket right underneath the first, and she looked from said ticket up at Jess with confusion and surprise written on her features.

"You can say no, but... Well, I was thinking you might wanna come visit. Maybe stay for the Summer?"

The grin that overtook Rory's face was the biggest of the day, and that was really saying something.

"Jess, I'd love to," she told him, diving into his arms to hug him tight, glad when he held her just as close. "But, well, after the Summer..." she began as she suddenly pulled back wearing a worried expression.

"We'll figure something out," he promised, keeping her in his embrace, the only place he ever wanted her to be. "If you want to, we can make it work, Rory, I know we can."

It made no sense, they both knew that, but right now it didn't matter. How she would go to Yale and he would work at Truncheon, and yet they'd still be together, they had no idea, but right now all he was asking her was if she wanted to try.

"I want to," she promised him, her smile slowly returning even as tears fell from her eyes. "I really, _really_ want to."

When he kissed her then, the world went away. Rory didn't just forget where she was or what event they had been enjoying, but entirely what day it was and even her own name. She had been waiting for this moment on some level since the first time Jess left her behind. When he kissed her in Philadelphia, she panicked, knowing only that anything which could screw up the balance they had found had to be abolished before they started again. Now was the time, with nothing left to stop them.

Jess was just so relieved that she was happy with his plan. Sure, it would be hard, the whole long distance relationship thing, but they could make it work if they wanted to, and honestly, in the whole of his life, Jess had never wanted anything more.

Their kiss to end all kisses ended abruptly when suddenly the young couple realised they had been struck. They pulled apart both looking down at the bouquet laying at their feet. Rory looked up at Jess and then across at her mother on the edge of the grass. Lorelai had tossed her bouquet not into the usual crowd of single women, but just at them alone.

"You think she's trying to tell us something?" asked Rory with a smile she couldn't keep in check.

Jess put his hand to her face, wiping away her happy tears and smiled.

"I hope so," he said definitely, before moving in for another kiss.

Nobody could guarantee a happily ever after for any couple, but for Luke and Lorelai, and for Jess and Rory, maybe this time they really had conquered the worst of the rocky road that would lead them to a happy ending. It certainly seemed like it right now.

The End


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